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Monday, March 17, 2008

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day I borrowed some of the photographs my daughter took when she was studying at the University College Cork, Ireland from January 2006 through May 2006. Judith said it was interesting to her that the parade in Cork had very little green. There were dancers and dragons and lots of umbrellas because it was pouring down raining but the costumes were not the green which is often featured in St. Patrick's Day Parades in the U.S.
I am so glad that she had the opportunity to go to a St. Patrick's Day parade in Ireland and I'm pleased that she took a lot of pictures which gave me an idea of what it was like.
The photograph below is of St. Fin Barre's Cathedral which is located across the street from the university apartments where she lived during her time in Cork. The photograph below is one she took looking east down the river in Cork.
The shot below was one she took at a beach near Cork. I love the rocks.
Happy St. Patrick's Day and thanks to my daughter for her photographs from Ireland.

21 comments:

Barb said...

What an awesome place to study! I don't have many regrets, but one is that I never got around to college. My sister just graduated with her degree in Nursing. She's now an R.N. at the age of 51! I'm so proud of her, and just a little bit jealous!

Anonymous said...

Lucky Judith! It must have been amazing to study there in Cork. I am glad that she had the opportunity.
Who woulda thunk that there would be so little green at the parade? Makes ya wonder how the green beer tradition came about.
My mom used to green our milk on St. Patty's Day. Yep. That's what comes your way for being Irish on both sides of the family in America. All of the tradition and none of the history.
Luck be to ya, my Darling Friend!
Love, K.

My fave drinking song:
The Parting Glass
(aka The Partying Glass)

Of all the money e'er I had, I spent it in good company;
And all the harm I've ever done, alas was done to none but me;
And all I've done for want of wit, to memory now I can't recall,
So fill me to the parting glass, goodnight and joy be with to all.

Of all the comrades e'er I had, they're sorry for my going away,
And all the sweethearts e'er I had , they wish me one more day to stay,
But since it falls unto my lot that I should go and you should not,
I'll gently rise and softly call, goodnight and joy be to you all.

-written by someone really cool and Irish, most likely not wearing green.

jmb said...

I spent the wettest July on record in Ireland! There is enough green everywhere without having it in the parade.
Great photos Carver, Happy St Patrick's day, if you are celebrating it.

Dee said...

I agree - fun photos and Happy St. Patrick's Day.

You know, I think I have a book on my shelf related to parades in Ireland and their association with politics there. I think. But chemobrain, you know. I might've recycled it or gave it away. I'll have to look on my bookshelf tomorrow. That is, if I remember!

Anonymous said...

It must have been an awesome experience for your daughter to have celebrated/experienced St Patrick's Day in Ireland :)

Carver said...

Hi Willthink4wine, That is so great about your sister graduating with her degree in nursing around 50.

Hi K (guess who), I have never heard of greening milk but I don't have any Irish in my family (unless Scotch-Irish counts). The Parting Glass song is great. Thanks for telling me about it.

Hi JMB, I can imagine that the wettest July on record in Ireland was wet indeed. I spent a summer with my family in England when my Dad was studying there in 1974 and that seemed pretty wet to me although it was intermittent.

Hi Dee, The book sounds interesting. I know what you mean about looking if you remember. I haven't done chemo so I blame my memory issues on neurontin. It can't be age because I've heard 50 is the new 30. I fear I'm not living up to the new 50.

Carver said...

Hi Napobaniya, It was a great experience for my daughter. I'm so glad she got to do it.

Anonymous said...

Hi! Just dropping by to thank you for your comment at my WS post weeks ago! I am sorry that I was able to return the visit just now! Take care!

Anonymous said...

Wow! Great photos! Happy St. Patrick's Day.

I am just a new fellow in this blogger world.Hopping around.

Carver said...

Thanks for visiting Joshua.

Thanks for visiting, The Bee.

Yolanda said...

I loved seeing these. Hope you have a terrific week.

Barbara said...

Lovely pictures from Cork, I would love to visit.

sonia a. mascaro said...

Happy St. Patrick's Day, too! (belated)

Love all photos! Well done!

Carver said...

Thanks Yolanda. I hope you have a great week too.

Thanks Startinesky. I would like to visit Cork too. My daughter's photographs made me want to join her when she was there.

Thanks Sonia, I appreciate your visiting and commenting.

Leslie: said...

Well done! And it IS interesting that very little green showed up when here it's all we wear!

Dee said...

Alas, Carver, I actually remembered and I think I gave the book away! It was interesting because I think it looked at parades in terms of differences between Protestant and Catholic parades and how that related to politics and power in Ireland. I must've been making room on my shelf!

Carver said...

Hi Leslie, Thanks and I appreciate you stopping by.

Hi Dee, That does sound interesting. I need to get rid of some books to make room on my shelves too.

AscenderRisesAbove said...

now *that* is a parade. I am surprised too there is so little green

ascenderrisesabove.com/wordpress

Carver said...

Hi J (Ascender), It is interesting to me how these customs get started and differ from country to country.

Anonymous said...

I was born in Dublin and finished off my schooling there. I don't know Cork very well at all but the St Patrick's Day looks very similar to the ones I remember. I don't know why they have become what I call so "Disneyfied" outside Ireland.

The other thing I don't understand is why it's such a big deal. Yes the Irish have spread around the world but so have the Scots, Welsh and English, and you don't hear anything about St Andrew's, St David's or St George's Days. Odd.

Carver said...

Hi A., It is odd that this one particular day is celebrated whereas others aren't. I looked it up and the first St. Patrick's day Parade was held in Boston in 1761, in NYC in 1762, and Quebec has the longest continually running St. Patrick's Day Parade which started in 1824. In the past in Ireland St. Patrick's Day was a religious observance only. The first St. Patrick's day parade held in the Irish Free state was in Dublin in 1931. In the mid 1990s the Irish government began a campaign to use it as a showcase to Irish culture.
Another tidbit is that St. Patrick Blue was the color long associated with St. Patrick. The change to Ireland's association with green not blue probably began around the 1750s , according to what I could find.